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Proton Beam Irradiation for the Treatment of Unresectable Hepatocellular Cancer and Cholangiocarcinoma

Phase II Study of Proton Beam Irradiation for the Treatment of Unresectable Hepatocellular Cancer and Cholangiocarcinoma

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT00976898
Enrollment
83
Registered
2009-09-15
Start date
2009-08-31
Completion date
2018-07-31
Last updated
2025-09-15

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Liver Cancer

Keywords

proton beam radiation

Brief summary

In this study the investigators will be studying the effects of proton beam radiation therapy. This is a very accurate kind of treatment that has been shown to affect less normal tissue than a photon radiation beam. The accuracy allows the investigators to more safely increase the amount of radiation delivered to eliminate cancer. This accuracy will potentially reduce side effects that participants would normally experience using photon radiation therapy. The purpose of this study is to determine if radiation using proton beam therapy will kill the cancer cells in the participants liver.

Detailed description

* Participants will receive treatment as an outpatient in the Francis H. Burr Proton Center at the Massachusetts General Hospital, the MD Anderson Proton Therapy Center or the Roberts Proton Therapy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. * Not everyone who participates in this study will be receiving the same dose of radiation. The dose received will be determined by the location of the tumor(s) within the liver. * Proton Beam radiation therapy to the liver will be given once a day, 5 days a week (Monday-Friday), for 2 weeks. * The following procedures will be performed once a week during treatment on days 1, 8 and 15, as well as on the last day of radiation: physical examination and blood tests.

Interventions

RADIATIONProton Beam Irradiation

Given once a day, 5 days a week, for 3 weeks

Sponsors

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
CollaboratorOTHER
Brigham and Women's Hospital
CollaboratorOTHER
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
CollaboratorNIH
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
CollaboratorOTHER
University of Pennsylvania
CollaboratorOTHER
Massachusetts General Hospital
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Biopsy proven unresectable or locally recurrent hepatocellular cancer or intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Patients with a single lesion must be 12cm or less in greatest dimension. For patients with two lesions, no lesion may be greater than 10cm in greatest dimension. For patients with three lesions, no lesion may be greater than 6cm in greatest dimension. Patients may have single or multinodular tumors (up to 3). There must be no evidence of extrahepatic tumor. Portal vein involvement or thrombosis is allowed. * Participants must have measurable disease, defined as at least one lesion that can be accurately measured in at least one dimension (longest diameter to be recorded) as 20mm or greater with conventional techniques or as 10mm or greater with spiral CT scan. * Patients may have had prior chemotherapy, targeted biological therapy, surgery, transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), radiofrequency ablation, or cryosurgery for their disease as long as it is greater than 4 weeks from first protocol radiation treatment (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin C). Patients may not have had prior radiation to the affected area. * 18 years of age or older * Expected survival must be greater than three months * ECOG Performance Status of 0, 1 or 2 * Normal organ and marrow function as outlined in the protocol * If patient has underlying cirrhosis, only Child-Pugh classification Group A or Group B patients should be included in this study. * Patients must be either surgically sterile or post-menopausal. Male and female patients of child-bearing potential must agree to use adequate contraception prior to study entry and for the duration of the study participation. * Individuals with a history of other malignancies are eligible if they have been disease-free for at least 5 years and are deemed by the investigator to be at low risk for recurrence of that malignancy. Individuals with the following cancers are eligible if diagnosed and treated within the past 5 years: cervical cancer in situ, and basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin

Exclusion criteria

* Women who are pregnant or lactating * Patients with evidence of non-hepatic metastatic disease * Local conditions or systemic illnesses which would reduce the local tolerance to radiation treatment, such as serious local injuries, active collagen vascular disease, etc. * Prior liver directed radiation treatment * Patients may have no serious medical illness, which may limit survival to less than 3 months * Patients may have no serious psychiatric illness/social situations which would limit compliance with study requirements * Patients who have had chemotherapy or radiotherapy within 4 weeks (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin C) prior to entering the study or those who have not recovered from adverse events due to agents administered more than 4 weeks earlier * Patients may not be receiving any other study agents * Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
2 Year Local Control Rate2 yearsThe percentage of participants with local control after two years as assessed by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.0. The duration of control was measured from the start of treatment. Local control is the absence of local failure. Local Failure is defined as evidence of tumor growth/regrowth in any direction beyond that present of the pre-treatment imaging studies in the treated lesion(s).
Median Overall Survival5 yearsThe median survival time in months as measured from the start of treatment until death due to any cause or until the participants is censored. Participants are censored at the date of their last follow-up.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Number of Participants With Treatment Related Adverse Events ≥ Grade 32 yearsSummary of the proton radiation related grade 3 or greater adverse events that participants experienced. Adverse events were assessed using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE v3).
Patterns of Failure2 yearsA summary of the patterns of treatment failure, shown as the number of participants that fall into each category at the end of study follow-up

Countries

United States

Participant flow

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Proton Beam Irradiation
This is a single arm study. All study participants will receive proton radiation therapy. Proton Beam Irradiation: Given once a day, 5 days a week, for 3 weeks
83
Total83

Withdrawals & dropouts

PeriodReasonFG000
Overall StudyAdverse Event1
Overall StudyLiver Transplant1
Overall StudyPhysician Decision1
Overall StudyProgressive Disease1
Overall StudyProtocol Violation1

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicProton Beam Irradiation
Age, Continuous67.6 years
Child-Turcotte-Pugh Class
A
66 Participants
Child-Turcotte-Pugh Class
B
15 Participants
Child-Turcotte-Pugh Class
C
0 Participants
Child-Turcotte-Pugh Class
No Cirrhosis
4 Participants
Disease Status
Locally Recurrent
5 Participants
Disease Status
Newly Diagnosed
78 Participants
ECOG Performance Status
0
28 Participants
ECOG Performance Status
1
52 Participants
ECOG Performance Status
2
3 Participants
Number of Nodular Tumors
1
66 Participants
Number of Nodular Tumors
2
15 Participants
Number of Nodular Tumors
3
4 Participants
Previous Therapy
Any chemotherapy
27 Participants
Previous Therapy
Any other
15 Participants
Previous Therapy
Any radiofrequency ablation
2 Participants
Previous Therapy
Any surgical resection
4 Participants
Previous Therapy
Any transarterial chemoembolization
5 Participants
Previous Therapy
None
45 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Asian
1 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Black
4 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Hispanic (white or black)
1 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Unknown
1 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
White
76 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
83 participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
32 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
51 Participants
Underlying Liver Disease
Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) (± Others)
28 Participants
Underlying Liver Disease
No HCV but Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) (± Others)
6 Participants
Underlying Liver Disease
No HCV/HBV but Ethyl Hepatocellularalcohol (EtOH)
8 Participants
Underlying Liver Disease
No HCV/HBV/EtOH but nonalcoholic steatohepatitis
3 Participants
Underlying Liver Disease
None
36 Participants
Underlying Liver Disease
Other
2 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
11 / 83
other
Total, other adverse events
81 / 83
serious
Total, serious adverse events
8 / 83

Outcome results

Primary

2 Year Local Control Rate

The percentage of participants with local control after two years as assessed by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.0. The duration of control was measured from the start of treatment. Local control is the absence of local failure. Local Failure is defined as evidence of tumor growth/regrowth in any direction beyond that present of the pre-treatment imaging studies in the treated lesion(s).

Time frame: 2 years

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
Proton Beam Irradiation2 Year Local Control Rate94.4 percentage of participants
Primary

Median Overall Survival

The median survival time in months as measured from the start of treatment until death due to any cause or until the participants is censored. Participants are censored at the date of their last follow-up.

Time frame: 5 years

ArmMeasureValue (MEDIAN)
Proton Beam IrradiationMedian Overall Survival49.9 Months
Secondary

Number of Participants With Treatment Related Adverse Events ≥ Grade 3

Summary of the proton radiation related grade 3 or greater adverse events that participants experienced. Adverse events were assessed using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE v3).

Time frame: 2 years

ArmMeasureGroupValue (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS)
Proton Beam IrradiationNumber of Participants With Treatment Related Adverse Events ≥ Grade 3Liver Failure1 Participants
Proton Beam IrradiationNumber of Participants With Treatment Related Adverse Events ≥ Grade 3Platelets1 Participants
Proton Beam IrradiationNumber of Participants With Treatment Related Adverse Events ≥ Grade 3Ascites (nonmalignant)1 Participants
Proton Beam IrradiationNumber of Participants With Treatment Related Adverse Events ≥ Grade 3Ulcer, GI - stomach1 Participants
Proton Beam IrradiationNumber of Participants With Treatment Related Adverse Events ≥ Grade 3Bilirubin (hyperbilirubinemia)1 Participants
Secondary

Patterns of Failure

A summary of the patterns of treatment failure, shown as the number of participants that fall into each category at the end of study follow-up

Time frame: 2 years

ArmMeasureGroupValue (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS)
Proton Beam IrradiationPatterns of FailureIsolated local failure5 Participants
Proton Beam IrradiationPatterns of FailureDead of disease, no progression2 Participants
Proton Beam IrradiationPatterns of FailureAlive, no progression26 Participants
Proton Beam IrradiationPatterns of FailureDistant metastases38 Participants
Proton Beam IrradiationPatterns of FailureLocal failure and distant metastases3 Participants
Proton Beam IrradiationPatterns of FailureDead of other causes, no progression9 Participants

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 5, 2026